RQ: No Rose is Without A Thorn
by GemstoneProductions99
Summary: Merlin runs away with his beloved Freya after Arthur finds out about his magic. AU of 2x09. Fluffy Freylin one-shot. Requested by Jillcb. Cover art by me, the same one used for A Budding Romance.


**Author's Notes**

**Let's all just pretend the events of _Gwaine (3x04) _and _The Coming of Arthur Pt._ _1 _& _2 (3x12-3) _have already ****happened because, well, I like the two knights, Gwaine especially. Apart from being set right after the events of _The Lady of the Lake__ (2x09)_, this is another reason why this story is an AU.**

**I also want to say thank you to Jillcb for the request, I really hope you like it. :)**

* * *

**No Rose is Without A Thorn**

_A Merlin story_

_Requested by Jillcb_

* * *

Proverb: Some situations one faces apparently have their share of problems.

* * *

Merlin strode through the courtyard in utter disbelief.

He, of all people, has just been invited to appear in court by none other than his once loyal friend Prince Arthur Pendragon. It wasn't a typical court case involving sorcery from an individual outside the castle grounds, oh no. Sure, it did involve sorcery, but it was a much more serious matter than that.

It had only been yesterday when that ferocious Bastet last attacked Camelot and probably the last time Merlin had defended Arthur from harm using his magic. But it was a rare occurence to have Arthur actually _see_ magic being performed before his very eyes, like the time when Merlin created a miniature tornado around his home in Ealdor and his best friend William was forced to lie to the prince that he was the one responsible for the act and not Merlin.

"_I know magic when I see it._"

Arthur's words from that very day racked Merlin's brain. No other word could've been truer than that, that's for certain. However, of all the other times Merlin had performed magic near him, Arthur had failed to notice or even consider that what he had witnessed was the work of magic.

With that said, how was Arthur able to spot Merlin using magic at the Bastet?

He had been surrounded by his fellow knights preparing for an attack and yet he managed to spot Merlin performing magic underneath the knights's quaking feet.

It was impossible!

Before he allowed his mind to drift off, Merlin sees a large piece of silky purple fabric behind some bushes. He realised it was one of Morgana's dresses.

He frowned. Why was Morgana cowering behind some bushes? Is she hiding from someone? Is she spying on someone?

"Morgana?" he called out.

No one responded on the other end.

Merlin cautiously inched himself forwards to have a closer inspection. The dress didn't move.

He crept another inch closer. The dress still didn't move from its position.

_That's odd, _he thought. _She would've noticed me straight away by now._

With curiosity eventually getting the better of him, Merlin removed the branches with his hands in a similar fashion to how he would draw back the curtains in Arthur's chambers, to find not Morgana but a different lady entirely.

The lady was laying in a fetal position, body in his direction, fast asleep. Her body looked stiff, maybe relaxed - he couldn't tell - on the hard stone floor. Her dark locks partially covered her calm, unperturbed face. No bone in her slender frame moved a muscle except for her shoulders, which undulated to her steady, rhythmic breathing. The ends of what was once Morgana's purple sequinned dress lay sprawled along the floor in a messy and at the same time delicate heap. What made the lady even more eye-catching was the angle of the sunlight, which streamed through the bushes and landed all over her in tiny dots on parts of her face and body, giving off a somewhat holy appearance.

Merlin's breath catches his throat as he recognised who the lady was.

_Freya!_

An ecstatic smile tugged at his bony cheeks as memories from the last three days came flooding back to mind. He crouched down on all fours and shuffled towards her, ignoring the sharp prodding the branches were making around his arms and hips. "Freya, I'm back." he whispered as gently and softly as he could.

The young druid girl turned over and let out a small but audible moan as she rubbed her hand over her face. The moment her eyes met his, her face immediately lights up like a ray of sunshine. "Merlin!"

She leaps up and pulls him into an excitable embrace. Merlin seemed surprised by her reaction but he smiled and gently squeezed her back in return.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back." His voice was muffled under the silky sleeve from the dress over his mouth.

"Neither was I, to be honest." replied Freya.

Hesitation hangs in the air before she lets go of him, her face falling. "I thought you'd ran away because of..." she pauses, attempting to swallow down the shame that grappled onto her voice. "...because of who I am...a-as opposed to who I was, if you know what I mean. The curse, it...it made me act unjustly to your people. I-I-I did try to tell you. Oh, you must hate me now." she sighed despondently.

Merlin carefully brought her into his arms again. "I don't hate you, I never have. You're not a monster to me."

Freya looked up at him, her vision clouded with water. "You still don't understand. I wasn't always like that. There was a man. He attacked me. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I thought he was going to kill me. His mother was a sorceress, and when she found out I'd killed her son, she cursed me to kill forever more." She hugs him tighter, a tear sliding freely down her puffy cheek.

Merlin was taken aback by her story. He now felt even more sympathetic for the poor druid girl. He brings her around to stare long and hard into her timid brown eyes, determination clearly read in his features. "I'm going to make you feel better, Freya. Don't worry."

"You can't. There's nothing you can do." weeped Freya adamantly, wiping another tear that had begun streaming down her cheek.

"I don't care! I'm going to help you whatever the cost. We will go to a faraway place where no one would find us. A place where there will be a cottage overlooking mountains, cows, lush grass, butterflies and a lake. A place for just the two of us, like you promised. We could live together in harmony, use our magic whenever we please! Think of the possibilities!"

The desperation in Merlin's voice made Freya smile a little. "I know, you've told me numerous times. And I have told you I would like that more than anything. It would be rather nice not to be in the face of danger constantly, to not have to keep on running, to not have to look behind you all the time."

Merlin breaks his gaze from her, his smile slowly disappearing and brows furrowing as if he were pondering on something. Something was clearly bothering him, Freya noted, an itch he couldn't quite scratch.

"What's wrong?"

Merlin reconnects his gaze on her and shakes his head. "Nothing, it's...nothing."

"You seem upset. What's stopping you?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I...I'm actually in a bit of a dire situation." Merlin leans in closer. "It's about Arthur."

"Arthur?"

"The prince of Camelot. He has found out about my magic."

Freya nodded in understanding, then frowned. "Didn't he know beforehand?"

"No. Magic is outlawed in Camelot, so I have a tendency to hide my powers, but I will secretly use it whenever it is necessary. I normally use it to save my friend's lives, such as yours."

This made Freya shudder. It was just as well she didn't hang around Camelot any longer. Her powers weren't properly developed and goodness knows what might've happened to her if she accidentally used it near the kingdom. Torture? Imprisonment? Execution? Or something much much worse!

She pushed the thought away and resumed her focus on Merlin, who was still giving her that warm, loving stare. "So, what happened when Arthur found out?"

"Well..." Merlin glanced behind him briefly and rubbed his free hand around his neck. "...let's just say he didn't take the news too kindly."

_-.-.-.-_

_"Go on, tell me."_

_"Tell you what?"_

_"Tell me what you did last night." A hint of loyalty and sincerity in Arthur's tone indicated that he wasn't joking, and Merlin knew this._

_Arthur was sat at his desk in his chambers, arms folded, and a look of daggers pierced through Merlin's innocent blue eyes._

_During that fight with the Bastet, Arthur had been violently tackled to the ground by Merlin before he had a chance to stab the wretched beast's heart with his sword. He instead witnessed his manservant charging towards the beast and boldly leapt in front of it, yelling at it not to attack Camelot's people any further._

_At first, the young prince scoffed at the ridiculous action, for beasts weren't capable of listening to humans, hell, they certainly can't **comprehend** basic human language. __But then, a split second later, Merlin was yelling something else at it in a language he didn't understand, and Arthur swore on his life he saw, for the briefest of moments, Merlin's eyes flash a pure gold. Suddenly, the Bastet's violent nature changed dramatically to that of hesitation, as if it was uncertain of what to do. As if it had actually listened to Merlin. As if...as if it had somehow_ _**obeyed**__ his indecipherable command._

_And, to Arthur's bewilderment, the creature miraculously did just that, for it no longer had an interest in attacking Camelot. Instead, it let out an earth-shattering roar of defeat and swooped away into the cloudy evening._

_Arthur was still on the floor, completely dazed at what just happened. Surely this had to be a work of sorcery. No man would be able to tame a wild creature, let alone a Bastet, or any ferocious beast for that matter. Was Merlin really hiding something from him or was it just his imagination playing tricks on him? No, it can't have been the latter. This **had** to be a work of sorcery!_

_"What do we do, sire?" asked Percival, breaking the young prince's thoughts._

_Arthur realised his knights hadn't moved since the Bastet had escaped. "Dispatch." he replied after a while._

_Percival nodded and headed back towards the castle entrance._

_"Dispatch!" Arthur bellowed and the rest of his __knights that acted as his protective barrier dispersed at once. He scrambled up from the stone floor to join them, his mind whirring._

_"I have no idea what you're talking about, sire." Merlin repeated for probably the tenth time._

_"Merlin, I don't want any of your lies. I know what I saw, so tell me the truth!" Arthur warned, anger and impatience seeping through his veins._

_But Merlin kept rallying on. "Nope! Still don't know what you're on about."_

_"Merlin-"_

_"I don't! You can search me all you want, I haven't done anything wrong. Why would I do such a-"_

_"Shut up, Merlin!" And Arthur meant it. Merlin had tried his patience for long enough, so enough was enough. __This made Merlin finally stop in his tracks and an awkward pause followed, with Arthur refusing to leave his cold gaze on his manservant._

_"In my twenty year reign as prince of Camelot, I have encountered and fought against beasts of all kinds, and not once had a beast turned its back on anyone. They are dangerous creatures, they have a desire to kill anything that moves. You could've gotten yourself killed, Merlin, if you're not careful! And yet, there was something...something you did - I don't know what - to make it change its mind somehow. No human being could do such a thing unless it involves sorcery.__" He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge __of his nose before speaking again. "__I trusted you. I had my whole trust in you, I really had. Now? N__ow I realise I have made such a foolish mistake. If my father finds out about this-"_

_"No!" said Merlin. "Please don't tell him!"_

_"I'm afraid I have no other choice. Magic is forbidden in Camelot, you of all people should understand that by now."_

_Merlin shuffled backwards, away from Arthur's desk, and gave a short bow. __"All right then, Arthur. If it would be no trouble, I shall take my leave. I will no longer be serving you. Good day."_

_As soon as he turned his back, Arthur promptly rose from his seat, the creaky wooden chair squealed against the floorboards as he thrusted it back, and stomped over to grasp Merlin's red neckerchief in a fit of blind rage. __"You are not going anywhere, Merlin. You are to be put on trial in court and, it pains me to say this, executed on the grounds for all to see. You can stay put until further notice."_

_Merlin gulped at the word "executed". He was indeed familiar with the rules regarding the use of magic - he had heard Uther mention it countless times before, ever since he witnessed Thomas' execution when he first arrived in Camelot - but the mere thought of it unsettled him. He **is** __a sorcerer after all._

_"Is that understood?" Arthur growled through gritted jaws like one of his canines when they have spotted some prey._

_"Yes...Arthur." replied Merlin feebly. "I'll, uh, stay put in Gaius' chambers then."_

_-.-.-.-_

Freya's eyes widened. "Why would he do such a terrible thing?"

"He doesn't make the rules the king does." Merlin stated matter-of-factly. "Still, he has to follow them whether he likes it or not. He did seem a bit uneasy when he told me my proposed fate. Rules is rules, I'm afraid, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that."

Freya nodded sadly, then grabbed hold of Merlin's arm protectively. "Oh, Merlin! I'm more frightened than ever. I hope you make it out alive."

Merlin chuckled, placing a free hand over Freya's. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine."

"But they'll-"

"I know. Which is why I have planned an escape, and I can take you with me. No qualms, no quarrels, just pack some supplies and we'll be ready to go. Everything will be fine. If anything stands in our way, I'll be the one to fend them off for you."

"With magic?"

"Possibly."

"You're quite the hero, Merlin!" giggled Freya. "A knight in shining armour if ever there was one."

"Hey, Merlin!"

Merlin jumped at the joyous noise behind him, stumbling backwards into some sharp brambles, a couple of which brush lightly against his cheeks, and landed in an awkward, tangled mess on the floor. Freya, noticing his reaction, immediately shrank away into the only shadowy corner under the bushes in hopes that whoever Merlin was about to talk to wouldn't notice her. She couldn't make out who it was as the back of his torso was blocking her vision. Thankfully. Or was it? She didn't know. All that mattered is to wait for him to shoo the person away so they could run away together and be merry. After all, Camelot is no place for a potentially dangerous lady like Freya.

"Sorry! Are you all right?"

"Gwaine! How-what...Where did you come from?" she heard Merlin say in as casual of a manner as he could muster.

"Ah, you know, nothing like a little morning stroll to stretch the ole muscles, eh?" The knight explained gleefully as he extended his leg out as a way of proving his point somewhat.

"With Percival?"

"Well spotted! Nothing gets by you, does it? Good thing, that keen eye of yours. It's no wonder Arthur hired you to be a servant of the kingdom." Obviously this was taken as a lighthearted joke, but Freya didn't get the banter and proceeded to back away even further, her face growing more frightful by every minute that sluggishly passed by.

Gwaine's vision shifted to the bushes. "Anyway, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"You mean _you_ did?" A deep, masculine voice corrected him, which belonged to Gwaine's best friend Percival.

Merlin's expression quickly distorted into panic. "You did!? How much did you hear?"

"Probably the last quarter. Something about running away somewhere." Gwaine feigned a look of pondering by scratching the stubble around his chin.

He takes a step forward, but Merlin backs off.

"There's no one else in here."

"Really? Then why can I hear a female voice in there?"

Freya's heart raced when she heard this. She quickly covers her mouth with both of her hands in an attempt to prevent any unexpected noises from coming out.

"It's, uh...nothing." Merlin trails off, unsure of where the conversation was going.

"It's more than nothing." insisted Gwaine as he pulls back the branches with his gloved hands and scans through the darkness. Then he spots bare feet underneath the spots of sunlight. "Hello. Who's this?"

Freya's heart raced even faster. What was she to do now? There was nowhere for her to run away this time as Gwaine was blocking the exit and her back was up against some brambles. She was trapped!

Merlin, realising he had been defeated with his not-so-crafty lies, allowed Gwaine to have a look. "Alright Gwaine, you win. There is someone in here, but I have only just found her. I didn't even realise she was hiding in here." he said defensively. He sighed. "This is my, umm, friend Freya."

He glances over at Freya and gestures for her to come out. "It's okay, Freya. Gwaine is my friend, he won't hurt you. He's a respected knight of Camelot." He sticks his hand out at her. She gradually works up the courage to take it and is pulled out of the shadows into the blinding light.

Gwaine and Percival gape at the unexpected beauty Freya turned out to be, especially considering she was still wearing Morgana's dress Merlin had given her as both a gift and a disguise.

"She's gorgeous." muttered Percival in awe.

"She looks like a princess." agreed Gwaine, who was more in awe than his friend.

Freya creeps over to Merlin's side, making him chuckle. "She's a bit shy. She doesn't like talking to strangers." he explained.

"Sorry to be a bother." said Percival. "Like Merlin said we mean no harm. We'll let you get on with your day."

"Yeah, see you later, Merlin...and Freya." said Gwaine with a wink.

The two knights marched away and, as soon as they were out of earshot, Merlin looked at Freya and said confidently: "See? You're okay. There's nothing to worry about."

* * *

Dusk settled in, and Merlin had already begun packing some food and water for the trip ahead. He had also brought with him some tools to make a fire and another one of Morgana's dresses, this time, it was her loose, silky green dress that she would normally wear during Uther's coronation.

Completely satisfied with his packing, Merlin tied the blanket up in a huge knot, shoved it inside his satchel and dragged it out of his chambers. He crept past Gaius' bed and carefully opened the door. He dashed over to the stables to fetch Arthur's white stallion and lobbed the satchel over its neck. He then brought it out of the stables over to the same bushes Freya was hiding in earlier and pulled back the branches.

When Freya looks up to meet his gaze, she beamed brighter than ever, enough for Merlin to do the same back at her. He takes her hand and both hop onto the horse, with Merlin at the front and Freya at the back.

"Goodbye, Camelot!" whispers Merlin to himself and whacks the reins against the horse, which soon springs to life with a loud whinny.

"Oi!" a guard called out, but they ignored him and the horse galloped further and further away from the castle and out of sight.

* * *

Miles and miles they travelled on horseback through total darkness, which had eclipsed all over the land. They had ridden through forests big and small throughout the journey and not once had they come across bandits or any shifty looking sorcerers. And it's a good thing too as everyone would probably be asleep at that time of night. Luck was most definitely on their side, to Merlin's joy.

"We'll stop here, I can hardly see a thing." he announced as he slowed the horse down to a halt at a clearing.

Freya agreed and both of them dismounted simultaneously onto a large tuft of grass. They soon shared some cold chicken breast under the moonlight and the twinkling stars. Hours passed until Freya suddenly began frantically tugging on Merlin's brown jacket.

"Hm?" He looked over at her, face stuffed with chicken.

"The curse. I can feel it coming. Get out of here, quickly!" Freya's voice was hushed and laced with fear.

Merlin's eyes widened and quickly stood up. "I'm not leaving you."

"Please, Merlin! I don't want to hurt you."

"I know you don't. I can try and stop the curse for you."

"It's too powerful. Please listen to me, Merlin. Stay far away from me. Get out while you still c-" But Freya was interrupted by a sharp pain in her chest and stomach, causing her to wail in discomfort.

Merlin was blown away by her sudden reaction and immediately backed away as Freya keeled over onto her knees as if reacting to some sort of supernatural force taking ahold of her body and was using her like a rag doll. Her body was arched, her hands were outstretched and grabbing onto the soil for support, and her head ducked low, occasionally shooting upwards so she could scream at the top of her lungs.

Merlin brings his hands forwards, palms facing Freya, and started shouting a spell over the continuous howl of agony.

"**_Edwenden déorcynn fréo cyrtenesse._**"

His eyes flashed a brilliant gold. Freya continued screaming and didn't seem to react to Merlin's magic. He tried again, raising his palms at her.

"_**Edwenden déorcynn fréo cyrtenesse.**_"

He shouted with more passion and more pronunciation on the accent than before. Once again his eyes flashed gold and this time, Freya stopped screaming and her whole body tensed up as a strange white glow emitted from her. Her eyes are fixed onto the midnight sky and her mouth gaped slightly, probably reacting to the change inside her. She remained in this position for what seemed like hours, then everything stopped. The glow had disappeared without a trace and Freya slumped forwards onto the grass.

Merlin runs over and kneels down next to her unconscious body.

"Freya? Freya, are you okay?"

She didn't speak for a long time. Then, a loud gasp followed, as if she had been submerged underwater for an extended period of time.

"M-M-Mer...lin?" she panted.

Merlin grinned. "You're okay!"

Freya breathes a sigh in relief and Merlin pulls her in for a hug. Freya kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you, Merlin! I don't know how you did it, but thank you so much!" she sobbed as tears streamed happily down her face. "You have _no_ idea how long I have to put up with that dreadful curse. I feel more at ease than ever."

"Happy to help a friend." was all Merlin could say before kissing her on the lips.

They hugged each other again until the sun peeked from behind the trees, a sign of early dawn. Merlin looked across from the big ball of fire to find something shimmering in the distance.

"Freya, look!"

Freya glances across to where he is pointing and grinned widely. "A lake!"

She runs over to it, with Merlin following after. She spots something else in the distance next to the lake. "And a cottage! We've found it!"

"It's like a dream come true." agreed Merlin, and proceeded to pick Freya up off of her bare feet and spin her around.

"Thank you, Merlin, for everything you have done to me. Without your help I would've been hopeless. Now I can stop worrying and stop looking over my shoulder constantly."

Merlin nodded, then paused, a look of worry appeared on his face before speaking. "I have to leave you now. I'm going to court to tell the king what happened. You'll be okay here, won't you?"

Freya nodded ecstatically and gave Merlin one last hug before going to Arthur's stallion and rode back to Camelot. Freya waved goodbye and blew kisses at him.

* * *

Merlin appeared in court just in time to tell both Gaius and Arthur everything that happened. Gaius was displeased while Arthur seemed intrigued by his claim and told the story to Uther. Uther was reluctant at first, but eventually gives in to Arthur's words and dubs Merlin the Court Sorcerer of Camelot. Applause erupted from the crowd, which echoed through the castle halls, and Merlin bowed graciously at the king's feet. He even gives Arthur a bow as a way of thanking him for not being hanged or ending up in the stocks, and Arthur gives him a simple nod and a smirk in return.

And so it stands. Merlin became Court Sorcerer of Camelot and the ban on magic has since been lifted. Freya is no longer in danger and is occasionally paid a visit to Camelot to see how things were getting on. She now lives in peace in her little cottage by the lake not far from the kingdom. The knights pine for her continuously, Gwaine especially, but they knew full well that true love belonged to Merlin and Freya.

* * *

**Edwenden déorcynn fréo cyrtenesse - To turn from beast to lady of beauty**

**The translation isn't 100% accurate as I used a website that translates from English to Old English, so pardon me if I got it wrong.**

**Once again, thank you Jill (Jillcb) for the request, I hope you enjoyed reading this little fluffy Freylin one-shot. :)**

**GP99**


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